Sans Love
by hols09
Summary: What if Aragorn had never cried 'Tinuviel' Would things be so different? Please rr... rated for possibilities. Not a typical AraArw fic. More characters to come later...
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Okay, so I've done rpgs for like 5 years now, the majority of them being equine themed on regular websites, though lately I've gotten into the "Games" board of a forum... And I was inspired for this by a LOTR rpg there that I was a part of. I changed a lot,  
because I love being on the computer and had way too much time while waiting for replies to sit and think of different plot lines and stuff... 

This takes place pre-war of the ring. Arwen is recently returned from Lothlorien, and knows Aragorn only by reference- there's never been any cries of "Tinuviel" in my version :)

I don't really know ultimately where I'll go with it. My inspiration piece is damn long, that's fo sho. I can tell you however, this isn't slash, and I'm going to try my hardest not to be mary-sue- I completely intend to totally butcher a well known relationship.  
Somehow...

PLEASE REVIEW. Even if it is just to say what a wonderfully talented writer I am, and how much you love how I developed my extensive plot and went about having non MS characters... well, you get the point... I live for reviews. I'm a review whore. Fanfiction gets a heck of a lot more reviews than fictionpress. I got like 50 on my crappy not finished Artemis Fowl fic, and got like 7 on my 10 chapter elaborate tale of darkness on the "A" circuit... wow I love to ramble. Oh, go visit my fictionpress account. Same penname as here. More stories.

And I think it's blatantly obvious I'm not Tolkein since this isn't published and I'm not a millionaire. Let me know if it's not, while you're reviewing, of course!

The light, misty rain barely made a sound as it hit the roof of the Prancing Pony Inn. The moonlight had a strange effect on it, and the candlelight inside would make one as well- were there any.

No, the inn was rather dark. Surely there were still a good deal of drunk men at the barn, mumbling and shouting occasionally, and some pairs conversing at private tables. The atmosphere was dank,  
foreboding, criminal.

The occupants of the inn varied from night to night, but more often than not, one table was specifically reserved for a tall, dark figure.  
Tonight was no different.

'Strider' he was called among the townspeople, though the more educated peoples of Middle Earth would know him by another name. The lurkers at the bar avoided him, whispered about him when he entered,  
and invented far fetched stories about his occupation. He was a farmer, a messenger, a hunter, a murderer.

No one knew the truth. No one wanted to know. Why would they, when everyone apparently knew everything about him and was so eager to share their half-baked tales? Ask anyone in the bar. They would tell you everything. No one realized the man was very aware of what was being said.

He didn't mind it. Strider preferred the dark alias. To him, it was more appealing than his true identity.

And so the night was 'normal.' All the regulars at the bar, drinking away the troubles they had, or just drinking. Strider was at his seat, and was quietly ignored. It wasn't hard. Nothing about him stood out, from his dark, muddied clothes to the cloaked, weathered face. Often he had a pipe, and rarely could any expression of emotion could be discerned on his visage. Tonight would not be normal in that particular department.

Every occupant of the bar on this dreary evening had been thoroughly looked over and considered. Some Strider knew by sight; others, he knew by the same type of malicious rumours that had been spread concerning them. No threats, though. Strider sat back.

The inn door opened slowly, and four figures stepped in, their garmets lightly wetted with rain. All were cloaked, but their pale skin was rather radiant beneath the covers. The first went to the inkeep's desk, who in turn showed the newcomers to the stairs.

Strider leaned foward slightly.

Each of the four had let their hoods down, though the last one, female, had done so reluctantly, and rightly so. Immediately some of the talk quieted as they passed on their way towards the steps. A few made bold remarks, ones that would have shamed them were they sober. Maybe.

For the first time in a while, surprise registered on Strider's facade. He knew them, to be certain. Curiosity surged throughout him, perhaps on a wave of testosterone that was in the bar. He didn't stand, but instead sat back, picking up his pipe and letting out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding.

After all, elves did not venture freely in a land like Bree. Especially not the master of Imladris and his children... why tonight?


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Okay, god. Why does ffnet hate me? Why do my lines not show up? What a... :-D I always have such trouble with html on here. Give me a regular website any day... sigh. Oh and I am so beyond thrilled to see that I got not one review, but four! How thrilling... I get this huge grin on my face every time I open my email )  
Except what is AU? lol, it's been a loooooong time since I've been on this site... oh, and what the heck are these C2 things? How intimidating. Okay, chapter 2...

Oh, and I apologize in advance for the possibility of this being short. I decided I wanted to make it a cliffhanger. I'm evil comme ca. And plus I had um... like "buyer's remorse", only writers style. I decided not to make Aragorn as ahem... mean? as I intended at first. I'll save it for another fic. Assuming I get through this one.

Um, one last thing. I am going to use this handy dandy elvish phrase thing I found long ago. I don't know what dialect is, and frankly, whatever :) Translations are in the fun curvy parentheses. I can't believe I have an "A" in English with my amazing grammar skills.  
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Rather reluctantly, Elladan handed over the reins of his mare to the young stablehand. "This is not some nag from the back of someone's pasture," he said quietly, seriously. It was enough to spook the boy, and he led the chestnut mare away on a loose rein and eyeing her suspiciously. Elladan just smirked and turned back to where the rest of his family was dismounting.

Elrond silently bade his children to follow with just a look. He opened the door into the inn, looked around disdainfully, and then stepped up to the desk. A few minutes later and they were on their way to the stairs.

Arwen let down the cloak on her hood and smoothed her hair out from where it had been gathered. Suddenly she felt very hot, though not because of the temperature. She glanced to her right, unable to help being disgusted by the gazes that were on her. But she stared them down, to the point of not watching where she was going and gently bumping into her brother, Elrohir.

In all fairness, though, he was at fault as well, for he had stopped and was looking at one of the occupants. He was apparently shaken back to reality by Arwen, and he continued without a word.

Arwen paused to discern the object of her brother's focus... but nothing stuck out at her. Just the seemingly typical drunks and such. There was some mild consolation in her mind that surely not all men were like this- she had met many while living in Lorien, and those were honorable. Royalty. Nobles.

She didn't dwell on it any more.

But something remained on Elrohir's mind, and he pulled Elladan aside before they entered the room where they would spend the night. They spoke quietly in Elvish, with Elrohir quite serious and Elladan brushing off his brother's concern lightheartedly. "Uuma dela," he said finally. Don't worry

The room was sparse and hard. Not to any of the four traveler's likings, but could they complain? Their journey was ill timed, and any better lodgings had no vacancies.

Arwen had only been back in the safe haven of Imladris for four days. Those four had not been calm- she was forced to meet so many new elves, and then say goodbye to so many more.

Wariness was increasing among the first children of Illuvatar. Bad tidings had come with messengers from those that dwelled in the woods. Dark creatures were being seen more and more often...

And so many elves had perceived that their times should draw to a close in Middle Earth. Elrond and his children had accompanied them to the Grey Havens. It had been a slow journey, filled with with a certain melancholy. All four had been eager to leave as soon as they could, and unfortunately it ended up with them only making it to this point by nightfall and unwilling to ride through the night.

It would suffice. Elrond shared his knowledge of this place and the other towns they had rode through (or around, in some cases) with his sons, trying to lift the somber mood somewhat. It worked, and before long they had dissolved to talking about every matter they could speak of that had been surpressed over the past days.

Arwen had changed into a light shift, more comfortable and just as elegant as the dark riding wear she had worn earlier. She stood by the large bay window, looking down to the courtyard. Her fingers were idly tracing the metalwork of her pendant. Deep in thought, she did not immediately respond when Elrond addressed her.

"Arwen"  
She started. "Lle tyava quel?" Do you feel well  
Arwen nodded slowly. "I'm fine," she replied.

Elrond was not completely satisfied, but he turned towards the fire in the room without another word.

But Arwen broke the silence. "I'm going down to the stables... I don't trust the workers here," she spoke with a slight smile, though completely serious. Elrond nodded his approval, and she picked up her cloak, then left the room, letting the door click slowly behind her.

At the top of the stairs she threw her cloak around her, but was distracted from it by trying to avoid a few men that came barreling up the steps. In the process she didn't notice that the strand of her necklace had snapped, and nor did Arwen notice it falling away when she reached the first level.

She just kept walking. Past the glances, the stares, the men, and everything else about this wretched place that made her feel uncomfortable. Past the tables, past the bar, past the desk, and out the door.

Immediately she let down her hood to welcome the less stuffy nighttime air. Her bare feet chose the dewy grass over the rough stepping stones, and with her long stride, it wasn't so far a walk.

Unfortunately the barn was as uncomfortable an atmosphere as the bar... muggy, dusty, unclean. She was at Asfaloth's stall door in a moment, observing his own lodging sadly. Arwen observed the latch, finding it complicated to open, and worse, rusty. She sighed softly and kneeled to get a better look. Strangely she didn't find the noises of the night worrisome. They were disregarded simply as another horse shifting in its bedding, a lurking stablehand getting ready to leave for the night, a tomcat stalking its territory. Ordinary.

Just as she felt the lock begin to give a bit, she also felt a hand firmly grasp her shoulder. 


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note-------

I knew it was time to start writing when a good song ended and Relient K came on launchcast. I love that band. Anyways, I took a couple days off to plan how to write this, and um, that didn't help much, so what the hell. Thanks for all the kind reviews- I hope no one is disappointed. I could have wrote this so many different ways.

Am I the only LOTR freak that has a life sized cardboard standup of Aragorn? I do. It scares the crap out of all my friends. It also makes me feel extremely short.

Oh and THANK YOU to the person who finally told me what AU is. I kept thinking it was author something. Alternate Universe. That makes so much sense... good lord. I'll explain the 'relationship' thus far in this chapter, I guess. Oh. And forgive me if I screwed up the Gilraen+Aragorn come to Rivendell vs Arwen goes to Lorien timeline... I'm too ADD to actually look up stuff like that. Actually, I'm so ADD I'm going to go do just that... -runs off- Okay. I researched. Aragorn was 2 when he came to Rivendell, and... um like 20 when Arwen came back. Which totally screws up my "AU" timeframe, but TOO BAD. Just deal with it, and don't open appendice B...

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Aragorn stood up the moment he saw the silver pendant fall to the floor. Within seconds it was in his hands and he moved to the door, suddenly conscious of how suspicious he looked. Not that he didn't come off that way to start with, but now...

He went out the door of the inn, pausing after he shut the door to further examine the jewel. One could have no doubt that it was elven-wrought- even separated from its bearer, it continued to glow, so much like the Silmaril that the aforementioned bearer was named for. He traced the metallic vines briefly, then clasped it in his hand.

Aragorn had no doubt that his appearance would spook the lady. It was inevitable, even if she heard his approach. He sighed softly. Feelings of guilt already, and he had the purest intentions of just returning the jewel in his hand to Arwen.

Bending to a subconscious order, he stopped at the stable door and peered slowly in. She was kneeling, apparently oblivious to his presence there. A pang suddenly struck him.

It was not one of apprehension, nor was it relief, fear, worry, happiness, or anger. It was lust, and he was immediately ashamed for it.

There was mild consolation in the fact that he knew he was without a doubt the most restrained man here- acting on feelings wasn't an option for him. And those feelings weren't unreasonable- more like invited. What with the way her cloak had been cast off to the side and her white shift blatantly visible in the darkness.

He drew in a breath to compose his thoughts, and then stepped into the barn.

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She didn't stand to face him as soon as she felt his hand. But as soon as she did, she gasped. One hand still on her shoulder, Aragorn held up the hand that enclosed her jewel and raised his index finger, holding it towards her lips, hoping Arwen wouldn't scream.

She didn't. But her eyes enlarged, her pupils already dilated from the darkness. Slowly, her eyes narrowed instead as she searched for a name for this man... surely she knew him.

However, her frame did not relax until he released her. He held out her necklace, dangling it from a finger. But first, her hand went to the base of her neck, now aware that it wasn't there. She accepted it back with a murmur of thanks.

Aragorn glanced down as the jewel changed hands, and noticed her opposite hand discreetly move behind her and drop something... he didn't pursue it, but was wary.

"Do I know you?" were the next words to escape her. She met his gaze unblinkingly, searching him. Aragorn merely nodded. "You do, or you did." Which was true.

It would have been forever ago to her. He had been but ten or twelve, newly arrived in Imladris with his mother. And she was bidding her father goodbye, leaving to dwell in Lothlorien...

Arwen did not reply. Instead, Aragorn continued. "You could ask your father, he would tell you."

"Would he have anything positive to say"  
He smiled slightly, considering it. "Hopefully..." He placed emphasis on the first syllable, and then fell silent.

Realization quickly dawned on the elf. "Estel," she spoke, shaking her head softly. It all made sense, and yet... "Why are you here?" As she spoke, she knelt to pick up her cloak and what was more, the small but fatally sharp dagger she had reached for before she stood initially. He hadn't noticed her holding it at navel level, and nor did he acknowledge her dropping it later...

"I travel," he responded simply, letting his gaze match hers. Seconds earlier, he had been staring up, still fighting that earlier pang.

Arwen raised an eyebrow slightly as she threw the cloak around her. She then strung the pendant around her neck. Striding swiftly towards the stable door, she paused on the threshold and turned. "Quel kaima, Estel," she whispered, and with that, left. Sleep well, Estel

Aragorn nodded in acknowledgement, but then sank to the floor when she took leave, letting his forehead rest on his knees. Draining, that had been...

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A/N: More interesting chapter later, promise. I wanted to keep going, but as it turns out, I have a horse show tomorrow and my brain isn't functioning right- doesn't help that I have TTT playing on dvd :) Quite the system... non-captivating moments without aragorn? switch to TNT where FOTR is playing! Viggo Mortensen rocks my socks. And my shoes. 


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: You know what is really cool? Less than 24 hrs after I update, I get reviews commanding me to update soon. That's it. I like reviews, but am I a bad author for taking a short rest? Haha, geeze. 

Now that I know what AU is and thanks to Julia, why I get to screw up timelines and not feel guilty, I keep second guessing myself. My 'inspiration' thing has all these characters and they all magically have to be in Bree no matter how stupid the reasoning (think Eowyn and Faramir having to meet each other there.) And there's a lot of melodrama- like technically Nazgul should have attacked and such. I was going to write this chapter like we role played it, but I do not like Frodo enough to do so. Maybe if Mark Wahlberg had been cast as a hobbit. So now I have to be brave and do my own plot, which is kind of half assedly formed in my mind right now. Don't hate me. Actually, you'd hate me if I stuck to the original one.

Julia -- Nope, haven't seen Entertainment Weekly yet, but I do have an excuse to go to Barnes and Noble to get Sparknotes for A Tale of Two Cities (wonder if they have one for Silmarillion- it's good but man I am so lost), so maybe I can pick it up there.

rs-- you're too kind :) Thanks for the good review.

Oh, and while I'm in the running for longest A/N yet, how does/did everyone find this fic? Is it some unwritten rule that I'm not allowed to search for myself? I can't find it anywhere, unless it shows up on the 'just in' section or gasp- someone liked me enough to put it as a favorite.

Wait- I'M GOING TO KEEP UPDATING! Don't worry! It makes me laugh... I am not going to quit like I did with my AF fic. I swear. On the precious.

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Arwen let her fork fall back to the plate before her, and set her elbows on the table, interweaving her fingers and resting her chin on them. The other three in the room- those being her father and brothers- were speaking idly of the route back and other superfluous topics.

Raised voices not far away caught all four's attentions- but Arwen was the only one that leaned back in her seat, acknowledging it. They were taking breakfast in a private room that was slightly removed from the common area. A flimsy folding shade was the only partition that divided them for the rest, and even that didn't stretched far enough to hide them fully. Arwen was just able to see into the other room.

The voices seemed to be the result of an argument over a bill and nothing more, but yet Arwen continued to stare, finding anything more interesting that what her father spoke of. A few of the stablehands had come into the bar, their morning chores finished, but were set to work inside immediately. Some of the other help were cleaning the tables and sweeping, and the paying customers were very few at this hour of the morning.

Abruptly, Elrond stood, and beckoned them to follow. Though second to stand, Arwen was the last to exit, pausing a moment to smooth the skirt she wore. It was loose and hunter green, but her tunic was more fitted and of the color of a faded golden leaf... her hair was worn in a bun at the nape of her neck, without any of the customary adornments.

Elrond led the way to the stables, but was distracted ere he reached the doorway. Just as Arwen caught up to her family, Elrond looked to the man who was in the courtyard with his horse, adjusting the saddle with his back to them.

"Nae saian luume', Estel." It has been too long, Aragorn

Aragorn started and then turned around, looking quite surprised, not only that he had been recognized, but also that he himself had not heard them approach. "Mae govannen, heruamin." Well met, my lord

"Good morning," Elrond replied. Elladan and Elrohir were grinning as they greeted the man that they had spent so much time with when they were younger...

"I did not look to find you here," Aragorn said, smiling lightly. The first thought that entered Elrond's mind was that he had not hoped to see Aragorn here, and that the white city of Gondor would be much more suiting, but he refrained. "Only by necessity did we stay here... it's far from desirable conditions"  
Aragorn didn't miss that very subtle hint of disapproval. "It pales in comparison to Imladris."

Arwen shifted her weight from foot to foot, shifting her gaze between her father and Estel. Suddenly Estel caught her eye and nodded his head, smiling softly, in a respected greeting, far more tasteful than the last night's encounter. She mimicked him.

Elrond did not miss it, but instead spoke up again to break the silence they had lapsed into. "You ride to where?" He inquired, looking to his foster son's horse.

"Towards Rohan," Aragorn replied, all too quickly to be believable.

"I see. When you return, do remember that Rivendell would not shun you." There was a shade of disappointment in Elrond's eyes.

Aragorn nodded. "I will." He turned to his horse and mounted swiftly. "Tenna' san', namaarie... heruamin, Elrohir, Elladan, Arwen en amin." Until then, farewell... my lord, Elrohir, Elladan, my lady.

He nudged the dark bay beneath him into a walk, exiting the courtyard and straying out of their sight.

Having the gate of Bree shut behind him, Aragorn loosed a sigh, settling in his saddle. His relaxed appearance did no justice to his active mind.

His first encounter with the lady Arwen had been long ago, but still vivid in his mind. He had been just a boy, a newcomer in Rivendell with his mother, Gilraen.

His mother was seated on a bench, gazing out at the scenery wistfully. He was completely engrossed in a book that had been left in their room, laying on the stone tile. It was written entirely in Elvish, but nevertheless he stared at it, determined to make some sense of the markings.

Gilraen's voice shook him out of his concentration. "Arwen is leaving," she said, a tone of sadness in her voice. Aragorn looked up, his attention held briefly by the scene of elves standing about the master's daughter.

"Oh," he replied vaguely.

"Let me see your book," Gilraen said, holding out a hand. Aragorn stood and sat next to her, looking over her shoulder. "This is the Lay of Luthien," she said, another sad smile coming to her face. "She fell in love with a mortal man, Beren."

Aragorn nodded, having heard the names before, but not the story. A rustling behind him made him turn around. A group of horses was passing the low ledge where they sat, with Arwen among them. He stared down over the railing, suddenly curious.

To his absolute embarrassment, the lady suddenly looked up. Her facial expression softened, and as she passed, she spoke only one word for his ears. "Namaarie..." With that, the group picked up a canter, fading from Aragorn's view before he knew it. Farewell

He abruptly turned and sat back down, his face reddening slightly at his mother's expression. "What did she say?" He asked urgently.

Gilraen handed the book back, smiling knowingly. "It would not be a bad thing for you to learn the elven tongue."

She then stood, leaving him speechless and a bit frustrated, but determined. Within two years he had the language mastered.

By midday, the small group had reached Rivendell, but were stayed when they noticed another rider farther up the path. He had dismounted and was looking worriedly at his mount's foreleg. When he heard the leaves crunch underneath more hooves, he glanced up, appearing slightly relieved.

"My lord Elrond?" He called, draping the reins over the bay horse's neck and walking towards them, clutching a letter.  
"Yes"  
"I have a letter from Galadriel," the blonde haired elf said as he held it up.

Elrond accepted it and opened it there, reading its contents quickly. He sighed, which was surely an ill omen.

"Your horse is hurt?" He began.  
"Yes, my lord, he strained his foreleg in the mire we passed through"  
"Then you can't possibly ride out again today"  
"Not on this horse"  
"No matter," Elrond replied, pausing for a long time to think. He had few options, as it were...

A/N: I PROMISE I will update. You don't need to beg me too :-p This letter idea is giving me a headache, I kept changing my mind about it...

A/N: I PROMISE I will update. You don't need to beg me too :-p This letter idea is giving me a headache, I kept changing my mind about it... This actually was a long chapter for me. I think my regular fiction chapters are longer, but yeah. I'm not very descriptive... does anyone have any actual critiques for me? Like writing style wise? My 9th grade english teacher like hated me for no reason... he wasn't very helpful at all.


	5. AN

Author's note.  
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I think technically I'm not allowed to just post an a/n, but

while (name ERIN)  
attitude ratherLazy;

and therefore I choose to abandon the rules. FFnet is actually very mean to me, as I have realized from all your kind reviews.

Part of it is just me being lazy, because I tend not to preview the chapters which could possibly get rid of all my dumb problems.

Part of it is that I, managing to be a newbie to this site (even though I joined, what, two years ago), still do not understand how their HTML works.

Feel free to come to my house and check out 'my documents', because I promise you I put translations in those little parentheses things that are kind of curvy... the buttons next to 'P'. Those. They're cute. But alas, they do not show up on FFnet because FFnet hates me.

SOOOOOO I will start using regular old boring parentheses and hopefully all will be well.

Any other helpful hints as to ffnet html? What can and can't be done? I've always had trouble with it.

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Julia - PSSSSSHHHHH! No one needs Elijah Woods, and that's where Mark Wahlberg would come in. He's way too cute to be a gardener. Oh, and yes, Spark notes, cliff notes, same thing. I think I might as well get them for LOTR as well, because I admit that while reading, I tended to skip the first paragraph of every chapter because 9 times out of 10 it was describing the scenery in a bunch of words I didn't understand or feel like looking up. I think that's also why I thought Helm's Deep was a valley that they all stood in and fired up at the orcs. In hindsight, I realized I'm kind of stupid.  
TOTC was fine once you get past all the symbolism. When it referred to England it was interesting, but I never understood the difference between Monseigneur and Marquis, but I did cry at the end. Sigh.

RS - So now does FFnet not only like to delete my funky parentheses (I'm sure there's a real name for them somewhere), it likes to delete the extra spaces I put around the flashback to divide it. Stupid website. Reeeeeally stupid website. I'm sorry. God, I need to be more diligent. I really hate reading my own stuff. I don't know why, I just do. I'll skim through it before I upload it, but I sometimes miss stuff, such as not elaborating on Elladan and Elrohir's reactions more. But they're not gone from the story... I dunno, maybe one will be left behind. Poor him.

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My 'inspiration' is really interesting thus far. We're on page 45, 665 replies... tons of characters, and yet no romance still. It saddens me. But if there had been, I probably wouldn't have writing this, so that's some consolation.

So now it is time for me to sign off, partially because I have run out of things to say and don't have enough time to begin chapter 5, and partially because I'm going to a sleepover.. thing and a horse show tomorrow. I'll probably get started tomorrow night, but horse show mornings equal getting up at 4 am... we'll see.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Okay, so it's definitely been, what, a week? And I'm just now beginning... We went to the beach for a couple days, school orientation/fee stuff... blah. I'm a bad writer, I know. 

Please let me know about any more of my html flukes, etc., or any helpful hints.

Oh, and YUCK- I was skimming through the previous chapters to see what dialogue had gone on. Man, I'm horrible.

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"I'm still not sure if I understand his reasoning," Elladan said, roughly an hour later.

The three children of Elrond were on horseback, ambling down the road. Elrohir was aboard his black mare, Elladan upon a bay stallion, and Arwen sat bareback on Asfaloth. It was only in the early afternoon, but to them it felt like they had been mounted nearly forever.

The messenger's horse could not be expected to make the journey home, so Elrond improvised. He sent his reply to Galadriel with the twins. Maybe not the most reliable way, but one could hope, he reasoned. They couldn't make up an excuse not to get there... it was urgent. Orcs were becoming braver, wandering into lands previously untouched by the foul creatures. Lorien was not alone... Gondor, Ithilien, Mirkwood, and other lands were all experiencing it, and found it reasonable cause for worry.

Arwen sighed in response to her brother. Elrohir initially shrugged, but decided to speak up. "Personally, I didn't think his level of mutual trust extended this far with us..."

"Oh, it doesn't," Elladan replied with a smile.

"For being warriors and whatnot, honestly... _lasta. Ada_, Glorfindel, and the others... they'll have little problem gathering what forces Rivendell has. But if there is trouble around Lorien, he thinks it wise to send you both, though I'm not sure why," Arwen said, with a note of exasperation. (_Lasta _... listen. _Ada_... Father.)

"You only wish you had our maturity," Elrohir countered, acting quite serious. Acting, of course, for he broke out into a grin after a few seconds.

"And what does he expect of you, exactly?" Elladan asked his younger sister.

"Even if orcs are abroad, it is safer there than in Rivendell," Arwen said, not looking thrilled about going back to the Golden Wood.

Elrohir and Elladan exchanged a look. "Oh yes... those wardens, very skilled, aren't they?" Elladan asked of his brother.

"Yes, they are. Good archers and all. A bit intimidating. But you do have to muster some pity for a few of them... what was that one's name?" Elrohir answered, grinning. Arwen shut her eyes and sighed at the turn of conversation. They were positively insufferable at times...

"H... Hal... Haldir!" "Oh right... a crushing blow, it must have been"  
"Indeed..."

Their banter would have gone on for the rest of the journey, save Arwen's next word, said in a hiss of a whisper. "Dina..." (Be silent)

Elrohir just waved an eyebrow, not taking her seriously. "Upsetting? I'm sure it was for him as well..." As he trailed off, both brothers laughed quietly until she held up a hand, looking dead serious.

Slowly she pointed a finger in the direction they were traveling. Still speaking in a whisper, she looked to the brothers who had finally fallen silent. "Ya naa tanya?" (Who is that?)

All three stopped their horses, looking ahead suspiciously at the rider before them. He had dismounted, apparently to give his horse a break by walking at his side. Traveling in the same direction as the elves were, he didn't appear to be too much of a threat.

After another exchanged glance, Elladan shrugged, a slight twinkle in his eye. Then they both spurred their horses into a canter, much to Arwen's displeased surprise. Nevertheless, she trotted after them, keeping a bit of distance.

She watched them approach the man, who turned to them. No hostility... good. But who was he? She let Asfaloth open up his stride to catch up. After a few more seconds, she glimpsed the assumed stranger's face.

The last day was proving to be quite interesting. The stranger was none other than Estel, and he wore an expression that clearly conveyed his own surprise at the meeting.

"Unlooked for, but not unpleasant," he said in his initial greeting.

"Meant to be, I should think," Elrohir answered. "We were cut short this morning."  
"_Ada_ would insist on making everything serious," Elladan added, shaking his head.  
"Dull, you mean." Elrohir interrupted.

Aragorn laughed. "Never with you both, though." As he finished, Arwen reached them. The two just exchanged another smile and nod of greeting. Intuitively they both thought it best not to alert either of her brothers as to what had happened the night before.

Elrohir glanced down the road. "So, Rohan, I believe you said this morning?"

Aragorn smiled half-heartedly, knowing his lie had been caught. "You never know... I might end up there." He grinned.

"And we **might **end up in Lothlorien." Elladan smirked. Aragorn rasied an eyebrow, curious.

"Why there?"  
"Playing messenger between the two... it's better than sitting around in Imladris, admittedly."  
"Just as beautiful, though."  
Elrohir paused, the same mischievous grin resurfacing. "Everything's beautiful there, it seems. Though you could elaborate, I'm sure?" He directed his question to Arwen, who flushed and gave him a nasty look.

Summoning her dignity, Arwen drew back her shoulders and smiled lightly. "You'd do best just to drop the subject."

Elrohir smirked and shrugged, conceding for the moment. He turned back to Aragorn. "Ride with us," he said abruptly. Elladan nodded in agreement.

Aragorn sighed, then dipped his head slightly. Company would be nice, for once, he admitted to himself. "Seeing as I have little agenda elsewhere... lead the way."

The twins grinned and each picked up a canter. Aragorn followed suit, glancing back once to Arwen. She was shaking her head, smiling lightly, but loping after them all the same.

Within a few seconds, that lope was a canter, and then a hand gallop, and then flat out... she passed the twins and settled into an easier rhythm. She wasn't pursued, for Asfaloth had little competition. Aragorn, however, moved his own stallion up a bit, watching her figure disappear around a bend. His trailing thoughts were shaken by the recently renewed banter between the other two elves just ahead of him. Soon he was caught up in their conversation, catching up on the past years and skirting the would-be awkward moments and questions. As long as he could keep that up for the rest of the time... quite the challenge.

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A/N. Okay, well, hey, short is better than nothing, oui? I felt like I didn't have enough dialogue, so I tried to do more in this one... so it ended up being like 75 percent dialogue. Ha ha. Well, whatever. Can't decide whether or not to just plow ahead with my AU-ness and screw up the distance-time thing... apparently it took 7 months from Rivendell to Gondor, and one story I read and loved got completely flamed for that... but I also don't intend on writing every day. Heck, they might be there by the next chapter... will have to think. Opinions? R/R! And once again, my apologies!

(I SPELL CHECKED! And read completely through it! Wow.)


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Um. I love you guys. A lot. Don't ditch me just because I'm horrible and haven't updated in forever. School's pretty good but a lot harder than I thought it would be. Ugh. However I have the coolest English teacher ever... he's 6'8", doesn't play basketball, and participates in Ugly Sweater Wednesday. (Doing parts of speech- example for interjection- "OH SNAP!") He is like no other. Anyways I've been really busy with the horses currently, like, for instance, a horse show this past weekend. Did very well though. 

Oh, and just so you know, this fic that I LOVE (Taken, by Crimson Coin) finally updated. However I am not even clicking the link until this is finished.

Julia- I had to come up with a valid reason for them to tease her :) As for the time thing, I didn't check the facts. (Read: I'm lazy) The story I mentioned, Longing to Leave, is under my favorites. A lot of people flamed the author for it being super unrealistic re: timeline, but I just think they couldn't deal with the assumed pairing. Sigh. And now, Anarian, Arnor... I just finished Silmarillion today, and god, does it have me mixed up... Anarian (Minas Anor) MT, but Arnor? Wow. My brain is fried. Is it the same thing? The 'definition' makes it sound like it, you'd think I'd know seeing as the drowning of Numenor is one of the last books in Silmarillion... again, wow.

rs- Oh, he was never really going. In my mind, at least, it was more of a spur-of-the-moment, make-up-a-sufficient-excuse type of thing... As for his leaving Rivendell, seeing as I've gone AU with the whole Aragorn-meets-Arwen storyline, I decided he would go off and be a ranger regardless, and not to Elrond's liking... Elrond's comment to him was more of a "I'd rather have you in Rivendell than out there..." I am confusing myself. Many apologies.

Thanks for everyone's kind comments... please keep them up!

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Exactly one week and two days later, the four travellers were not far off from their destination. The journey had been relatively easy, with no encounters with anything or anyone remotely concerning. Anticipation was building among the four.

But for now it was quiet, save the soft chirp of insects and the stomping and breathing of their horses. It was near dawn, yet still dark. The moon was quite bold, with a large halo around it. One had to sleep on their stomach to avoid staring at its beauty for one, and to fall asleep as another.

The three elves were lying down, but Aragorn sat up with his legs crossed, staring into the distance. Finally he sighed and laid back.

"Can't sleep?"

Sitting up quickly, Aragorn turned towards the voice's source. Arwen had sat up as well, her legs drawn to her chest and her arms wrapped around her knees. Her pale skin was brightened in the moonlight, as well as the sparkle in her eyes.

"I can't seem to rest." He slumped slightly as he said it, but the tiredness didn't show on his features.

"Ta tuluva a' lle." (It will come to you.)

He sighed yet again. "I would hope so."

Arwen couldn't miss the tone of his voice. "Something has you worried." She idly played with the bottom hem of her dress, waiting for him to gather his thoughts and elaborate.

"Lorien. Though it's not my first time... the last was memorable to say the least. I was with your brothers, just passing through briefly..."

"I could guess," Arwen began. "The lady spoke to you, yet she never opened her mouth?"

Aragorn nodded slightly, smiling. "Rather disturbing if you're unprepared."

Arwen grinned, not doubting that. "You shouldn't be concerned." Her voice softened slightly. "Sleep."

He rubbed one of his eyes and nodded, settling down.

There was silence for a long minute, but then:

"And you? Why are you awake?" Aragorn asked, his voice low.

She didn't answer.

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A few hours later, all four were awake, saddling up and getting ready to head off. The air was foggy enough to cloud their visibility, yet they found no cause for alarm.

"It really should only be galloping distance to Lothlorien," Elrohir noted out of the blue, a mischievous grin coming to his face which Elladan mimicked. "Marvelous idea."

Aragorn swung into the saddle, settled quickly and looked to the twins. "We could race, you know... just a proposition."

"And a goodone at that," Arwen said as she lithely mounted bareback. With one light cluck to Asfaloth, the pair cantered off, staying slow for a few moments to give them a trying chance.

The distance was longer than predicted, but just as the horses were beginning to tire, the edges of the Golden Wood came into sight. All four instinctively slowed their pace, and Arwen drew up her hood. The others followed suit. Elladan and Elrohir took the lead, with Aragorn a few steps behind them, and Arwen last.

Once they set foot inside the forest, silence engulfed them, save the crackling of leaves underfoot. All they could see were miles and miles of green, gold, and brown, with every leaf illuminated by a soft light.

The serenity was not to last though.

Before they had a chance to react, five elves appeared out of -what seemed to be- nowhere. An observer might have seen that two dropped down from the flets above, while the remainder had been hiding behind the trees. All had either their bows notched or swords drawn.

A first one, obviously the leader, stepped up to Elladan, staring him down, while his companion held his bow unshaken towards Elrohir. The twins dropped their reins, and Elladan sat up a little straighter, raising his chin. A third warden had his bow towards Aragorn, whose hand was on his sword hilt.

Elrohir raised his eyebrows, though it was hardly visible under his cloak and the shade of the trees. "You intend to detain us, I presume."

The leader laughed. "I intend to have you leave."

"Seems to be a blatant disregard for the Lady's wishes."

The leader took down his own hood, trying to get a better look at the speaker. As he spoke, he looked to Aragorn and Arwen. "And how would an outsider know anything of that sort?"

The twins had their eyebrows raised, easily recognizing the warden to be Haldir. They exchanged quick, subtle, smiles. Haldir's eyes were narrowed in suspicion. "Who are you, then?"

Elladan smirked. "Ones of far higher influence than yourself." Haldir obviously had no sense of humor, nor any remembrance of their voices.

Haldir wore a scowl as he continued to face away from the twins. "And you both? Nothing to say?"

Aragorn shook his head casually. Arwen, however, sighed. "Well, for starters, learning some courtesy would do you good," she said, reaching up and gently lowering her hood.

Haldir gave a small gasp and bowed slightly. "My lady," he spoke. Her face softened a bit. But when she didn't respond, he nodded, and went to the head of the group.

"My lords, and lady... I apologize." He tried to make eye contact with Arwen as he said the last two words, though she was looking to the third male. Haldir, though inherently curious about who was passing into the realm, didn't question him. Instead; "I assume you know the path."

Elrohir spurred his horse on, with the other three travelers right behind him. Arwen was resolvingly not meeting Haldir's gaze, though for those who looked closely, she did give him a subtle nod, the apples of her cheeks blushing slightly.

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Hours later, the travelers had met with Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel. With the exception of a few awkward moments over the evening meal, things had gone smoothly. Galadriel had remembered exactly who Aragorn was, but luckily none of those 'moments' had pertained to him. They were more along the lines of how life was going for the twins. Apparently they weren't quite meeting expectations, though it didn't seem to alarm either. While Celeborn, the twins, and Aragorn discussed the recent orc threat, Galadriel had taken up Arwen's arm after dinner and led her away.

"You missed it, didn't you?" Galadriel asked, breaking the silence that had ensued once they were on a more private flet.

Arwen's attention spiked. "Missed?"  
"Rivendell."  
"Oh," Arwen said, already curious as to where this would lead. "I did. Lorien is nothing short of stunning, but even so..."

Galadriel was silent for a few moments as the tension grew. "Funny that I should have heard the same word to describe yourself."

Arwen's eyes narrowed. "Who said it?"  
"I'm sure you think you know... and maybe you do. Or maybe you'd be completely shocked."  
"And I'm not sure I follow."

Galadriel walked to the edge of the flet, peering down. Arwen followed her gaze, noting that it seemed to focus on the Mirror. Galadriel's piercing blue eyes turned upon her granddaughter, and they held a sparkle to them. She only nodded, as if to confirm what Arwen was thinking, and then left the flet, leaving the other elf mystified.

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A/N: Ok, so that was pathetically short. But now I get to read my fic, you guys get to read this one... and all is good. I know exactly what the next chapter is going to be- might be a little shorter so I can drag the scenes out, I've been planning it since the start. So excited!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I hope I didn't lose all my nice reviewers due to my err long break. Haha. But like I said, I know almost exactly where I'm going with this one. Thanks RS. Hopefully I can redeem myself. And Julia... I understand now. Yeah, you know, I'm just the epitome of brilliance at times. I must say though, I'm fairly proud of myself- I edited the crap out of this. 

Can someone explain a one-short for me? Like obviously it's one chapter, but any particular characteristics?

Please review!

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Arwen walked to the makeshift sleeping area that had been set up for her companions and herself, watching where she was going but not truly paying attention. Galadriel was a veritable enigma. What had she meant?

The only thing Arwen could tell for certain was that Galadriel intended for her to go to the mirror. But for now, it was too much. She gracefully crumpled to the ground at her destination, leaning against a tree and closing her eyes to think.

She had looked into the mirror several times in the past, though never by herself. And never had she witnessed anything worrisome... though, after some consideration, Galadriel likely could have influenced it.

And yet, Arwen still found herself quite concerned. Her train of thought was interrupted by the return of her brothers and Aragorn. It came as a relief.

"Anything interesting?" She asked, wanting the distraction.

"Celeborn said they're being stretched thin," Elladan replied.  
"He has options," Aragorn added.  
"Until the need is dire, they will not ask for help," Elrohir countered.

Arwen sighed. Not quite the distraction she had been looking for...

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A few hours later, the travelers, well supplied with blankets and other ammenities, had spread out for the night. However, once again it was only the twins who were asleep.

From watching Arwen, one could easily tell she was tense. Her breathing was awkward, and she was staring straight up into the sky. She couldn't be blamed for that, though, because it was captivating- heat lightning burst in strokes, soundless but humbling.

Aragorn sat at the base of a nearby tree, unable to sleep. He had tried, but his mind was racing. He started at the sound of rustling behind him.

It was just Arwen. He leaned back, then peered around the tree, watching her. She had stood up and was intently staring at the ground, making sure not to step on either of her brothers. Once she cleared them, she picked up her pace. Curiosity was overwhelming him to the point of not being able to help it...

"_Manke naa lle autien_?" (Where are you going?)

Arwen's step faltered and she glanced over her shoulder before pivoting to face the speaker. Even in the dark Aragorn could see that her eyebrows were raised, and a coy expression settling onto her visage. But all the same, he had also seen the stiffness that gripped her when he spoke up.

"_Mankoi lle irma sint_?" She countered. (Why do you want to know?)

Aragorn just shrugged in reply, though he did offer a smile. Above them, the sky blanched with lightning, which in turn illuminated the elven face before him. She was thinking... reasoning. Against or for him, he couldn't tell. Finally...

"_Khila amin_." She motioned for him to follow, giving him only seconds to acknowledge her and stand up before walking away. (Follow me.)

Lothlorien certainly was an eerie place at night, Aragorn thought to himself. Completely silence engulfed the woods, save for the rustle of his boots in the grass. All the same, he was well aware that they were hardly the only ones awake. With the new threats, surely more wardens were around and above them... perhaps just more than the wardens. They walked for several minutes, not speaking, save for a soft apology when his shoulder brushed hers. After observing for her for a few minutes, he felt his curiosity peak. It was as if she knew where she was going, but wished her feet to go the other way... peculiar. And yet, he knew not to question her.

They covered the ground quickly enough, and came soon to a short set of stairs. Arwen's feet barely seemed to grace them as she descended, Aragorn noticed. But the pedestal in the clearing caught his attention, and his narrowed gaze observed it for a few seconds before he took a seat at the base of the steps.

Arwen had composed herself to the point of being tense as she drew up some water. She managed to let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding when she poured it slowly into the shallow basin.

_This is awkward_, she thought to herself. She could feel Estel's gaze on her, though she couldn't help but to interpret as less than flattering. Forcing herself to ignore it, she set the pitcher down gently and gazed into the basin.

The water's silver surface reflected a bolt of heat lightning, and with that it faded into an image. Arwen gripped the edge of the pedestal as the image zoomed quickly over a seemingly endless field. Suddenly, a mountain came into view, and moments later, a city on the mountainside. _Minas Tirith_, she thought to herself. She had no time to ponder it before the image began to morph- now she was certain that she was inside the city, looking out from a first person view. On a bench perhaps, near the White Tree. Suddenly, black bars rose up stonework, forming a loose ellipse around her and the Tree. The guards and civilians all moved freely, as if they were blissfully unconcerned. Concern clouded Arwen's countenance, but once again the image began to morph back into a translucent state.

Overwhelmed with a sudden pang of self consciousness, Arwen tore away from the mirror, all composure lost. She took a deep breath, willing herself to calm, but knowing her eyes would deceive her. For something so tame, she was stricken with fear. Fear of what? She couldn't say.

Aragorn stood quickly, stepping over to the elf. A different type of concern emanated from him- nothing short of protective. He instinctively knew that he couldn't ask her what she had seen- it was her information to divulge. But he glanced towards the mirror suspiciously all the same, half expecting the vision to still teasingly linger.

Arwen shook her head slowly, as if trying to clear her thoughts before she spoke. "Sometimes it shows the past, the present, or the future... other times it has the most despicable intentions of confusing the viewer." Aragorn left her side to observe the mirror from a different angle.

"You may look, if you wish," Arwen said after minute's silence. Aragorn looked doubtful, but couldn't assuage his curiosity without doing so.

Expecting the worst, he was oddly surprised to see a vision of a forest. It was strange, though- a very straightforward path leading up to a hill, the ground packed tight, and the corridor bordered by towering black trees. Slowly, it proceeded closer to the base of the hill. Everything began to change shape- the trees were columns, the ground was marble, the path a hall, the hill a throne...

Aragorn had never seen the throne room of Gondor, but this was unmistakably it. A scowl crossed his face, feeling as if he was being taunted by the basin.

Without warning, the throne dropped away, revealing a cliff behind it. Below, he could barely see anything- save for a glint of silver against the soil bordering a swift moving stream. The vision led him closer to the item, stopping abruptly when he recognized it to be the Evenstar pendant Arwen bore...

The water in the basin smoothed to black, and Aragorn stepped away, his eyes downcast momentarily. When he looked up, he was under Arwen's imploring gaze.

"I saw Gondor," he offered simply. He made a futile attempt at not looking at her pendant- but his eyes locked onto it. It was what he had seen, without a doubt. The fact did little to calm him.

Arwen was shaking her head softly. "I shouldn't have come." Aragorn went to her side, and gently extended a hand, placing it under her chin and lifting it. He could not hold her gaze long, though. It felt too personal, as if he wad doing her some great wrong. Aragorn sighed and shook his head softly. "If I had known this was something that would be regretted..."

Arwen smiled slightly, betraying the glassiness in her eyes. "I only wish I had seen more. Perhaps interpreting it would be easier..." As her voice trailed away, Aragorn's eyebrow arched, barely noticeable in the darkness.

"My lady... I do not promise an answer, but if you just told me..."

A very quiet huff of laughter escaped her. "Anyone else, perhaps." Aragorn's confusion spiked, yet he stayed silence, still hoping to draw an answer out from her.

Finally... "We both saw Gondor, then. Mine was far more negative, to be certain- generally the thought of being jailed is as such. Your interpretation is just as good as mine." She paused for several long seconds, debating whether or not to divulge the matter of the Tree. Perhaps it was the most important element of all. "I... I was seated by the White Tree, and it was in full bloom..."

Both were silent for minutes. Aragorn wasn't quite sure what to say- her statement sounded almost accusing. "I promise you, the city isn't as cruel as it would appear to be." He said it in a half joking manner, though deep down, he had slid into the role of king in that he wanted no bad perceptions of Minas Tirith.

"I've never been- and I certainly won't form an opinion from _that_ thing..."  
"Never?"  
"Unfortunately, but somehow I don't believe the steward would be very inclined to welcome any elves."

Aragorn was taciturn as his thoughts wandered. He wasn't enamored with the idea of staying in Lothlorien much longer, nice as it was- but they were close to the White city. Was anything stopping him from going there?

On an impulse, he spoke up. "_Lle merna aut_?" He could sense her hesitancy near immediately, even more so when she tried to disguise it with a quick laugh. "Estel..." she whispered, shaking her head. (Shall we go?)

"Why not? I would not ask you to ride into the city, for neither would I. It pales in comparison to Rivendell, but even so, it's worth a look..."

Arwen looked away, still trying to compose her dignity. When she finally looked back to him, her countenance had softened. "The idea of staying here, in Lorien, isn't the most appealing, I admit." After another glance up at the sky, she shrugged her shoulders gently. "With the threat of orcs, though, I don't see the wardens just letting us go our own way."

"It is not yet dawn." Aragorn wished it wasn't completely obvious that he was hoping for her approval... Even already he was filled with apprehension- the thought of being alone with her did that to him.

Finally, Arwen's shoulders dropped and she smiled. "I trust you, Estel... _Iire lye auta_?" (When do we leave?)


End file.
